AmaMerika Omthonyama—Ukuphela Kwesizukulwana
NGUBANI ongekawubukeli umfanekiso oshukumayo oqhelekileyo wabelusi beenkomo abakhwela amahashe namaIndiya? Ehlabathini jikelele abantu baye beva ngoWyatt Earp, uBuffalo Bill, nangoLone Ranger noGeronimo wamaIndiya, uSitting Bull, uCrazy Horse, noNkosi Joseph, nabanye abaninzi. Kodwa ibichane kangakanani indlela aguqulelwe ngayo la magama eHollywood? Yaye ibingenamkhethe kangakanani indlela ebebewachaza ngayo amaIndiya?
Ibali lokoyiswa kwaBemi Bomthonyama baseMntla-Merika (amaIndiya) ngamaNgesi libangela amathandabuzo.a Ngaba iincwadi zembali ziye zawachaza amaIndiya ngendlela engabonisi mkhethe? Ngaba ikho into enokufundwa ngokubawa, ingcinezelo, ubuhlanga, nenkohlakalo? Ithini imbali yokwenene ngabo babizwa ngokuba ngabelusi beenkomo abakhwele amahashe namaIndiya?
Ukuxhathisa Kokugqibela KukaCuster Nokubulawa Kwabantu EWounded Knee
Ngonyaka we-1876, ixhwele laseLakota uSitting Bull (elelinye lamacandelo ayintloko amaSioux) laliyinkokeli kwidabi elidumileyo loMlambo iLittle Bighorn, eMontana. Ekunye namajoni angama-650, uMphathi-mkhosi “uLong Hair” Custer wacinga ukuba unokuwoyisa ngokulula amajoni ali-1000 aseSioux naseCheyenne. Wathi kanti udele umqulu engazibalanga iiyadi. Mhlawumbi wayejamelene nelona qela likhulu lamajoni angamaMerika Omthonyama kwawakha ahlanganisana—elimalunga nama-3000.
UCuster wawahlula umkhosi wakhe oyi-7th Cavalry Regiment wangamaqela amathathu. Lingalindelanga ukuxhaswa ngamanye amabini, iqela lakhe lahlasela icala elalicinga ukuba kwakuya kuba lula ukulihlasela kwikampu yamaIndiya. Ekhokelwa sisibonda uCrazy Horse, uGall, noSitting Bull, amaIndiya amtshayela uCuster nelinye iqela lamajoni akhe angama-225. Olu yayiluloyiso nje lokwexeshana kwiintlanga ezingamaIndiya kodwa yayiluloyiso olulihlazo kuMkhosi waseUnited States. Noko ke, kwakusele nje iminyaka eli-14 ngaphambi kwempindezelo ebuhlungu.
Ekugqibeleni, uSitting Bull wanikezela, ethenjiswe ngokuba uya kuxolelwa. Kunoko, wavalelwa kangangethuba elithile eFort Randall, ekuMmandla waseDakota. Ebudaleni bakhe, wabonakala esidlangalaleni kumboniso owaboniswa kwiindawo ngeendawo oyiBuffalo Bill’s Wild West. Owayekhe wayinkokeli ebalaseleyo waphelelwa yimpembelelo awayenayo eselixhwele.
Ngowe-1890, uSitting Bull (ogama lakhe lesiLakota, linguTatanka Iyotake) wadutyulwa wafa ngamapolisa angamaIndiya awayethunyelwe ukuba aye kumbamba. Wabulawa “ziiMetal Breasts” zaseSioux (izingxobo zebheji zamapolisa) uMphathi-mkhosi uBull Head noSajini Red Tomahawk.
Kwangaloo nyaka mnye, imvukelo yamaIndiya nxamnye nokuphathwa ngabelungu yapheliswa ekugqibeleni ngokubulawa kwabantu kuMlanjana iWounded Knee kwiiGreat Plains zaseMerika. Apho, amadoda, abafazi nabantwana abamalunga nama-320 baseSioux nababebaleka babulawa yimikhosi emanyeneyo neenkanunu zayo eziphuma umlilo ekuthiwa ziiHotchkiss. Amajoni ayezigobh’ amacala esithi le yayiyimpindezelo yawo ngenxa yokubulawa kwamaqabane awo, uCuster namadoda akhe, kwimimango ephezu koMlambo iLittle Bighorn. Ngaloo ndlela oko kwaphelisa iminyaka engama-200 yeemfazwe neempikiswano phakathi kwamaveza-ndlebe aseMerika kunye nezizwe ezazirhangqiwe ezingabemi balapho.
Kodwa kuqala kwenzeka njani ukuba amaMerika Omthonyama azinze kuMntla Merika? Yiyiphi indlela awayephila ngayo ngaphambi kokufika kwabelungu kuMntla Merika?b Yintoni eyakhokelela ekoyisweni kwawo ngokupheleleyo aze anikezele? Yaye injani ngoku imeko yamaIndiya kwilizwe elilawulwa yinzala yamaNgesi angabemi basemzini? Le mibuzo neminye iza kuxutyushwa kumanqaku alandelayo.
[Imibhalo esemazantsi]
a Ngoxa ngoku bambi bekhetha ukusebenzisa ibinzana elithi “amaMerika Omthonyama,” ngokuqhelekileyo kwiimbekiselo ezininzi kusasetyenziswa elithi “umIndiya.” Siza kuwasebenzisa omabini la mabinzana. “UmIndiya” libinzana eliphosakeleyo elanikwa abemi bomthonyama nguColumbus, owayecinga ukuba ufikile eIndiya xa wafika kwindawo ngoku eyaziwa ngokuba yiWest Indies.
b Kula manqaku sithetha ngamaIndiya akuMntla Merika kuphela. AmaIndiya aseMerika ahlala eMexico, kuMbindi Merika, nakuMzantsi Merika—ama-Aztec, amaMaya, amaInca, amaOlmec namanye—aya kuqwalaselwa kumanqaku alandelayo eli phephancwadi.
[Umfanekiso okwiphepha 15]
Ukungcwaba Abafileyo eWounded Knee
[Inkcazelo]
Montana Historical Society